


Unexpected

by PrincessMeow1989



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Timothee Chalamet as Regulus Black
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:07:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28772832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessMeow1989/pseuds/PrincessMeow1989
Summary: James is more than excited for you to come home. He is, however, unprepared for the surprise that you bring along.
Relationships: Regulus Black/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

“James, would you calm down?”

Lily hissed after James stepped on her foot for the fourth time this morning. James stopped his wandering around the kitchen to look at his wife. 

“My sister is coming home. I haven’t seen her in ages.” 

Lily smiled as she put baby Harry down in his high chair. She had to admit that she was with James on that one. Everyone had missed you from the moment that you took a job for the order and moved off to France. Lily missed her best friend and James was missing his sister more than ever. 

“I know, love. Y/n will be back soon. You can join Sirius in driving the poor woman crazy and I will have my best friend back.” 

James grinned as he leaned down to get Harry’s attention. 

“I can wait for her to see how adorable he is in person. Pictures just don’t do justice.” 

Lily smiled. James had wanted nothing more than for you to come. From being so close to his little sister to having only phone and letter conversations for some time; Lily could see the sadness in James’ eyes when your name was mentioned. 

“No, they don’t. I’m anxious to see what surprise she is bringing home. Has she given you any clues?”

James shook his head. 

“If it's a boy, I will simply die. Y/n is too young to be worried about getting married.” 

Lily looked up. 

“James, we were married at her age. I’m sure if it's a boy, Y/n will have chosen a wonderful man. You know how picky your sister is.”

James had to agree on that one. You had to be one of the pickiest Hufflepuff’s that James Potter had ever seen. If you didn’t like a boy, you didn’t give him the chance. There had been plenty of boys at school that tried to “charm” you and failed miserably. 

“You’re right there.” 

James commented as Sirius and Remus came in the front door.

“Is she here yet?”

Sirius asked cheerfully. He was more than excited for you to come back too. After moving in with the Potters, he had become your new older brother. When you didn’t come back to London after graduation, Sirius missed you almost as badly as James did. 

“No, she should be here soon.” 

Remus gave Sirius a smirk. 

“I told you that we hadn’t missed her. He’s like an over-excited child.”

Remus commented as Sirius picked up Harry. Even though Harry was only six months old, Sirius was still trying to get him to say Padfoot.

“Things never change.”

Lily said with a pleased smile as the front door opened and closed. James’ eyes lit up. This had to be you! He knew that it would in the afternoon before Fleamont and Euphemia arrived. 

“Sissy! I’ve missed…”

James had run out of the kitchen and froze the moment that he came skidding into the living room to see you standing with Regulus behind you. Lily, Sirius, and Remus quickly followed after James the moment that his voice stopped. All three were as surprised to see Regulus standing behind you as James. 

“Y/n….why is Regulus with you?”

James questioned. Sirius blinked before focusing his attention on James. His best friend looked beyond confused and worried.

“Please tell me that he isn’t the surprise.”

James commented as your smile fell. You, meanwhile, took in a deep breath. From the moment that you awoke that morning, you knew today was going to be a shit show of a dumpster fire.

“He’s part of it, James. Regulus and I are married now.”

James’ face went white as Sirius and Remus started whispering to each other. Lily meanwhile, reached out to wrap her hand around James. 

“You what?”

James yelled. He looked between Regulus and yourself with a furious expression. Regulus was giving him that cocky smirk that the younger Black brother reserved just for James Potter. You, meanwhile, looked extremely worried. 

“You heard me. I love him but there’s more. Reggie?”

James leaned back to Sirius saying “oh, god she calls him that.” You stepped away from Regulus to reveal a baby sleeping in his arms. If you had ever tried to surprise your friends, you won the gold medal today. James and Lily looked as if they were going to take turns fainting. Remus’ eyes were wide while Sirius had a hand over his mouth as he took everything in. 

“That’s a baby.”

James muttered. He turned around and started fanning his face. 

“That’s a baby, Lily.”

Lily nodded, unable to speak for a moment. Regulus, meanwhile, rolled his eyes. 

“Yes, James. Congratulations...you figured it out.” 

You turned around giving him a displeased expression that made Regulus shut up. Before arriving at the Potters, you had begged him to try to get along with your brother. You knew that there was no love lost between James and Regulus. 

“Regulus, James...please. It's clear that we need to talk.” 

James nodded, trying to breathe in. 

“Clearly! When did this happen? Is this child his? Is that why you married him? Call me old-fashioned but what’s wrong with living in sin.” 

Lily gave James a scowl. 

“James, stop. Y/n, what’s going on here? I promise that he won’t yell at you. Please, sit down.”

James paced around the room before taking a deep breath.

“I want to talk to you alone...without him. In the kitchen, please.” 

You glanced over your shoulder at Regulus. His eyes were carefully looking between James and his own brother for any sign of hexes being thrown. The last thing that Regulus wanted was to leave you alone with James. Lucky for him, he could look right into the kitchen. 

“Fine.”

You replied. Sirius stepped in finally. He had forgotten how to speak but finally came back to himself.

“James, I think we all need to talk right here. I am anxious to see what my own brother has to say.” 

James started chewing on the inside of his mouth. Sirius sat down on the couch. 

“Y/n, Reg...what is going on?”

“What you see is what you get.”

Regulus said, sounding almost bored with the situation. James flexed his hands a few times before taking a few deep breaths. 

“Sorry but that doesn’t work for me. I want to know how this started and why neither of you could pick up a telephone or send a letter. I’m an uncle and I didn’t even know about this child’s existence. Regulus, I know that we don’t like each other but this is my sister...that you married without my permission.” 

You slipped a hand on Regulus’ knee, hoping to stop him from getting angry. To your relief, he only smirked. 

“I wasn’t aware that Y/n required your permission to do things. Is she also allowed to cross the street without you holding her hand?”

You decided to come into the conversation, after meeting Siriuis’ gaze.

“We met in France. After we just hit it off...I didn’t tell you because...well because of the way that you are acting right now. You’re acting like a child James. My happiness should matter to you and clearly, it doesn’t.” 

James stood up. 

“Sorry, but when your happiness is over a man that could end up getting you killed...I won’t be thrilled for you. Have you seen the mark on his left arm? Do you two even know each other at all?”

James didn’t wait for you to respond before turning and walking from the room. 

“Reg, can we talk….outside?”

Sirius asked. Regulus didn’t mind talking to his brother. It would be the first time in years and deep down, he missed his brother. Now Walburga wasn’t breathing down his neck telling him not to speak to Sirius. 

Regulus gently eased the sleeping baby into your arms. His grey eyes met yours. 

“Will you be alright?”

You nodded as he leaned down to kiss you. Neither of you noticed the expression of discomfort on Lily, Remus, and Sirius’ faces. Had James been in the room, he would have probably fainted. 

“We’ll be fine.”

You softly replied as Regulus stood to follow Sirius out of the room. Lily, meanwhile, waited all of two seconds to take Regulus’ place.

“I’m sorry about your brother...we are just shocked. You could have come to us, you know. I would have talked James down. The two of you shouldn’t have had to go through all of this alone.”

You’re eyes rolled up to meet Lily’s. Finally, there was some genuine caring coming from someone. Remus nodded scooting closer.

“Lily’s right, Y/n. James will get used to it eventually. He’s just shocked...all of us are. Why Regulus?”

You looked up to Remus.

“Why not Regulus? If it wasn’t him it would just be another.”

Remus shrugged. 

“Fair enough. The two of you seem so different.” 

You smiled. 

“We actually are very compatible, him being a Slytherin and me a Hufflepuff. You both want the truth? We met in a pub in France one night and were both wasted. The baby is the result of us sleeping together that night. We got married because we felt like it was the right thing to do. I do love Regulus and I know that he loves me. It may not be the ideal situation for any of you but it works for us. With this war going on, none of us know how long that we have. We could all die young... Regulus isn’t a death eater anymore. We’ve both been risking everything...Regulus especially. I wish James would see things that way but I don’t think that he will.”

Lily couldn’t argue with you on a few things. There was a very real possibility that all of you would die young. The war was getting worse and worse by the day. James would also take some time to calm down. 

“Let me see this baby.” 

You smiled and eased the baby girl into Lily’s arms. Lily smiled. You were relieved to finally see a genuine smile. 

“She’s darling. How old is she?”

“Four months...just two months younger than Harry. I wanted her to grow up with her cousin and her family. Her name is Halley.” 

Lily smiled as the baby snuggled closer to her chest to go back to sleep. The little one looked extraordinary like her father mixed with some of the Potter features. 

“Like the comet? That’s cute. She already has the Black family looks. Give Sirius a moment and he is going to be going into extreme uncle mode.”

Lily was pleased to see you smile at that. 

“Regulus won’t say it but he misses his brother. I think it has a lot to do with being afraid that Walburga is going to jump out and bash him over the head for admitting his feelings.” 

Lily knew all about the Black family. Their cold feelings on everything was a constant topic of conversation between James and Sirius. 

“Do they know about Halley?”

You shook your head. 

“Regulus didn’t want to tell them. We will now because there is a great chance that we will run into them at some point.” 

Lily reached out and gently squeezed your hand. 

“Everything will be just fine. The two of you aren’t alone anymore. Do you love him...Regulus?”

You smiled. 

“Yes, I love him very much. It didn’t take much work. I suppose in ways we are still getting to know each other but I think everything will be fine. Hopefully, Sirius isn’t out there giving him an earful…”

(meanwhile)

Sirius lit a cigarette as Regulus stared out into the garden. He was waiting for his brother to start talking but clearly, that wasn’t going to happen. 

Still the quiet one….

Sirius thought with a frown. If he wanted to get anything out of Regulus then he was going to have to pry it out of him...just like in childhood. 

“I’m impressed.”

Sirius commented as he inhaled. Regulus didn’t bother turning in his direction. He knew where this conversation was going. Sirius wanted to know what happened. 

Of course, he’ll want to know. It's one hell of a story for one to hear…

“About?”

Regulus questioned. Sirius rolled his eyes. 

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“I had to marry her.” 

Regulus softly replied. Sirius frowned. 

“Do you love her?”

Regulus was silent for a few moments before turning to his brother. 

“I’m sure that I will. Y/n is a good woman. She’s been extremely kind to me...when she didn’t have to be. She could have easily never told me about Halley. Y/n could sit back and tell the child that her father was a monster and not worth loving but she didn’t. She loves me and it's nice. I married her so people wouldn’t talk...Y/n doesn’t deserve that.” 

Regulus didn’t turn to face his brother who was frowning. That clearly wasn’t that answer that Sirius was expecting. Sirius expected Regulus to say that he loved you. 

“Don’t you think it's a bit cruel to marry someone that you don’t love? Do you tell her that you love her?”

Regulus frowned. He wanted to make sure that you didn’t hear the words coming out of his mouth. Love was such a funny word. While Regulus cared for you deeply he wasn’t sure if he loved you. He wasn't sure if he even knew what love was or capable of feeling it. Maybe, in time, he would but for now, he knew what his feelings were.

“I do and it's not cruel. She’s happy...I make her happy. As I said, I’m sure that I will fall in love with her. She does make me happy...you know what a feat that is. I love our daughter and that’s enough for now.” 

Regulus glanced over his shoulder.

“She gave me a chance. You know that we, being members of the sacred 28, didn’t get much affection from our parents. I don’t want Halley growing up with that.”

Sirius sat down on the banister. 

“You’re right there. How old is Halley?”

“Four months. Before you ask, mum and dad don't know. I didn’t tell them. I’m sure that you can understand why.” 

Sirius nodded and ran a hand through his hair. 

“Of course, that comment speaks for itself. I’ll talk to James.” 

Regulus stood up. 

“I should go check on my wife.”


	2. Chapter 2

Regulus couldn’t get away from Sirius soon enough. The last thing that he really wanted to deal with was Sirius asking questions about his love life. Regulus was already regretting what he admitted to his brother. Saying that he didn’t love you was a bit harsh. While he didn’t exactly know what love was, Regulus was sure that there was something of it inside him for you. 

Stepping into the house, he remained in the hallways but focused his attention on you specifically. You sat talking to Lily with Halley in your arms. 

_I do care for her more than she knows...I suppose that I do love her_

The past four months had been crazy for both of you. Crazy was putting things lightly. Before Halley was born Regulus never had any interest in having a child. The day that you had come to him with the test results, Regulus almost fainted. Remembering the day was enough to make him nervous again. 

_Regulus stood in the hotel room looking at the muggle pregnancy test as you stood waiting for him to say something. He had paced around the room a few times and was close to losing the stronghold that he had on his temper. Regulus needed an answer and you were only looking at him for an answer on how to feel._

_“Are you sure? What if it's faulty?”_

_You looked up at him with a confused expression. Regulus was trying to remain calm and you could see it. He was trying not to upset you and for that, you would be eternally thankful._

_“Six of them?”_

_Regulus ran a hand through his hair. Six of them wouldn’t lie. One could be faulty but you clearly covered your bases...smart clever girl._

_“Is there anyone else that the child could belong to?”_

_Your face immediately went from worried to shocked. That comment you clearly didn’t expect and Regulus regretted asking it immediately. He was the one that had taken your virginity that night and you only made time for him from that night forward._

_“I’ve only slept with you! We have been seeing each other a lot lately...if you’re suggesting that I am some loose tramp just forget what I’ve told you and I’ll handle it on my own with no help from you.”_

_You quickly gathered up your things and turned to leave without another word. Regulus stood motionless a moment longer before taking off after you. He ran through the hotel room and skidded into the foyer._

_“Y/n, wait! I’m an idiot.”_

_Your hand was on the door handle as you turned to face him. What color Regulus had in his face had vanished leaving your lover paler than normal. His young face was etched with worry as you began to speak._

_“No, you’re just a prim and proper boy who wasn’t trained to have unprotected sex with some stupid girl who is on the other side of the tracks.”_

Regulus had to agree with you on that one. His mother would have a fit if she knew what her youngest son had done. Regulus couldn’t let her know...not yet. Walburga would expect you to “get rid of it” and that wasn’t something that he wanted to happen. Regulus wanted nothing more than to protect you and his child...even if it meant disappointing his family.

He quickly closed the distance between your bodies. Reaching out Regulus pulled you into his arms. What he was doing...he had no idea. Holding you seemed like the best option that he could come up with. 

“Let me take care of you...We did this together and to be honest with you, Y/n, I’ve become taken with you.”

His words from that day were still accurate. Regulus was taken with you and he didn’t see that changing. Maybe he wasn’t ready to say love then and in some ways he was afraid to say it now but deep down he knew that he loved you. You would be the one that would prove to him that love exists.

Halley crying pulled Regulus from his thoughts. Any time the child made a noise, Regulus was on his feet. Had he ever expected to love the child so much? No. The moment that Halley was put into his arms the first time, Regulus was in awe of her. For someone only being minutes old, she already had him wrapped around her finger. 

The baby’s arrival made Regulus question his own relationship with his own father. Orion had always been closed off and didn’t want to be bothered with his sons until they were older. Regulus wasn’t even aware if his father knew who he was until he was at least six. When he was older and not as interested in causing havoc (as Sirius) Regulus finally became closer to his father. 

The last thing Regulus planned on doing was letting Halley feel this way. That was the thing that he liked about being in Paris alone (without other family involved). It was just the two of you looking after Halley alone. The two of you only relied on each other to make sure that the baby was happy and healthy. Now...Regulus was afraid that would change. When your parents and his parents decided it was time to sink their claws in, things would become difficult between Regulus and yourself. Would he side with what his parents wanted (which would involve Halley being raised in a life of privilege and pureblood shenanigans) or what your parents would want (still a privileged childhood but no pureblood bullshit that would piss his parents off)? Regulus already made a personal promise to himself that he would put his foot down and tell his parents _no_...should it need to be done.

You, meanwhile, had stood up trying to lull the child back to sleep. Meeting Regulus’ eyes, you gave him a small smile. Regulus couldn’t help but smile back. You were stunningly beautiful and you were his. 

_I really am an ass._

Regulus thought as you came to join him. 

“Is everything alright?”

You asked, softly. Regulus nodded. He gently kissed your forehead, earning a scowl from Lily in the other room.

“Everything’s fine, darling. How about here? Are they plotting my murder?”

You rolled your eyes before giving him a sly smile. 

“Nothing of the sort. Would you like to come upstairs with me to get the baby to sleep? It will be a bit before my parents arrive.” 

Regulus nodded. He was more than happy to snag a few moments of silence with you. After the disastrous meeting with James, Regulus needed some time to prepare for meeting with your parents. He already expected your father to not be pleased with him. What kind of father would be pleased to find out that their daughter hastily married a man that she had a child with secretively? If there was some kind of father that would be okay with this then they must have something wrong with them. 

“Y/n, you can put Halley in Harry’s crib if you would like. He’s not due for a nap for a while.”  
You gently placed Halley down in the crib. Making sure that the baby was sleeping, you turned and went back into the bedroom that Lily directed you toward. Regulus lay back on the bed with his hands behind his head. 

“It didn’t take her long to go to sleep.” 

You commented before easing your shoes off. Regulus gave you a smile. 

“Normally at this time of day, it isn’t too bad. I was thinking...maybe we could go look at some houses or flats tomorrow? I would feel a lot better if we had our own place and didn’t have your brother looking down his nose at us nonstop.” 

You moved to lay down beside Regulus on the bed. Snuggling your face into his chest, you gently petted his cheek until Regulus rolled himself to look down at you. His steely gaze kept your eyes locked on his. 

“Is that what you want?”

You asked. Regulus nodded. 

“We need our own place for our family. I know that you’ve missed your brother but we can’t stay with them forever. I have a feeling that I will be in a fight with James if we stay too long. I wouldn’t want to rearrange your brother’s face too much.” 

Regulus was relieved when you didn’t become annoyed. You were well aware of the animosity between Regulus and James. Their relationship had been rocky since childhood at school and you didn’t see that changing much into adulthood. You had a feeling that Regulus would be more receptive of a cordial relationship with James but your elder brother wanted nothing of it. James was still furious with the Black family for how they did Sirius (and you understood that). Regulus, in James' mind, was a pampered little prince that knew nothing of the world. Regulus was the little brat that became Slytherin’s seeker and helped the Slytherin team crush Gryffindor into the ground. There were many other petty things that led to James’ disapproval of Regulus. Now James had your marriage and Halley’s birth to add to his list of reasons why he didn’t like Regulus Black. What James didn’t see was that Regulus lost his own brother that night and suffered greatly when Sirius left. He didn’t see that Regulus was only going through the motions after Sirius left. 

You pulled yourself from your thoughts before looking up to Regulus. 

“You’re right. We’ve gotten used to our privacy. I’m not looking forward to keeping quiet or worrying about silencing charms anytime that we want to touch each other.” 

Regulus’ eyes fluttered open at that. He gave you a small smile. 

“We have to watch ourselves to not wake up the baby. I am not about to take extra care to not give your brother nightmares….or….”

You immediately put a finger to his lips.

“Don’t be mean. Trust me, James is probably already brooding over the fact that we have sex..making him hear it would be just cruel.” 

“I never claimed to be nice”

Regulus commented before leaning down to kiss you. You eagerly kissed him back. Slipping your hand down his chest to the buckle of his belt. Regulus’ hand quickly covered yours.

“Do we have enough time?”

You nodded. 

“We’ve gotten used to quickies, unfortunately. Lucky for us, Halley sleeps like her father and won’t wake up for small noises.”

Regulus rolled his eyes. 

“Very funny, smart mouth. You know, I think that I am in love with you.”

The two of you shared a smile before Regulus stood up to remove his trousers while you pulled your skirt up enough to spread your legs. You watched your husband with a pleased smile as he slid his trousers down his slender hips. 

“Funny, I think that I’m in love with you too.”

You replied as Regulus took his place over you. Regulus gave you a needy kiss. He was as desperate as you were for some “closeness.” You groaned against Regulus’ mouth and he gently pushed inside of you. As much as you wanted to lay about and make slow passionate love to your husband, there wasn’t the time. The last thing that you wanted to do was face your parents looking thoroughly fucked. Things were about to be awkward enough without turning up with messy hair and swollen lips. 

“Maybe we can con Lily and James into keeping Halley for a few days so we can have some private time alone. We haven’t had any of that from the day the child was born.”

You suggested as Regulus set up a steady pace. His eyes snapped open and rolled up to you.

“Don’t talk about your brother when I’m making love to you.”

Regulus hissed. You reached up and pulled Regulus down to you. 

“Then kiss me and don’t be so loud.”

It seemed like the two of you had just gotten your clothes back on when there was a knock on the door. 

“Yes?”

You called out. Lily’s voice came from the other side.

“Sweetheart, your parents are here.” 

Regulus muttered “fuck” under his breath as the color drained from your face. It was time to face one part of the firing squad. 

“Okay...be right down.” 

It took you a few more moments to start downstairs. Regulus had gone into Harry’s room to get Halley. You waited outside of the room until Regulus stepped back out with Halley in his arms. The baby looked confused as she held onto her father’s shirt. 

“It's going to be alright.”

Regulus said, hoping to sound confident. You only nodded before turning to walk down the stairs. 

Taking a deep breath, you walked into the living room where your mother and father sat. Both were gleefully talking to a very quiet James. Your mother was the first to turn. She immediately stood with a smile. 

“Y/n, darling!” 

Euphemia moved to hug you but stopped the moment that she saw Regulus and the baby. Her mouth dropped as your father noticed the same thing. 

“Y/n…”

Your mother started as James came in.

“It's exactly what it looks like.”

You narrowed your eyes on your brother as the annoyance began to build up.

“Shut up, James. They don’t know everything nor do you.” 

Your father frowned. Neither James nor yourself ever argued with one another so this sudden venomous attitude was a shock. 

“Y/n, what is going on, dear?”

Fleamont questioned as he turned his attention back to you. You took a breath. 

“Before the both of you get angry, let me explain. Regulus and I got married and this is our baby. We didn’t tell anyone because we were afraid that someone would get hurt. If a letter with the information fell into the wrong hands...it could have been disastrous.” 

Euphemia was clearly surprised as she put a hand over her mouth. She had a granddaughter that she didn’t know about. Shocked was the best feeling that she could come up with. James stood up.

“You know he is right?”

Euphemia immediately gave her son a displeased scowl. Of course, she knew who Regulus was. When Sirius turned up half dead at her doorstep, she wanted nothing more than to take Regulus away from his parents too but the boy wouldn’t hear of it. He had too much loyalty to his family.

“Yes, we know who he is James. I’m not angry with you, Y/n. I understand given the present situation with the times but I would have liked to have been there...for everything.” 

Euphemia wanted to say more about her internal displeasure but it would make no difference. She could have told you that she missed every mother’s dream of watching her daughter walk down the aisle. Euphemia wanted nothing more than to have been able to be there with you while you were pregnant...that was taken away from her. In time the wounds would heal. 

James’ mouth dropped. 

“You’re both okay with this?”

Fleamont turned to his son. Your father’s displeasure was clearly written on his face but he didn’t speak of it.

“There is no point in beating a dead horse, James. What’s done is done.”

He finally commented as Euphemia stepped closer to Regulus with a warm smile. Regulus still looked like the shy boy that she remembered so well.

“Let me see this baby.”

She said cheerfully as Regulus slowly put Halley in her grandmother’s arms. Euphemia smiled immediately before gently stroking the baby’s cheek. 

“She’s lovely.”

Euphemia commented before smiling up at Regulus. 

“She looks a lot like you and your brother, dear. How old is she?”

“Four months, ma’am.”

Euphemia nodded with a smile before meeting her husband’s eyes. Fleamont had finally stood up and came to look at his granddaughter.

“She’s a perfect little girl. Harry will have a little playmate now.” 

James looked up at that. You were pleased to see that realization had finally washed over your brother’s face. He hadn’t even gotten a good look at his niece due to him acting like an overgrown child. James looked at you apologetically. He made a mental note to talk to you later when Regulus wasn’t hovering over you. It would be easier to talk to you without the little pampered prince around. You would be his sister again...not Regulus’ wife.

James smiled down at his niece who was snuggling her grandmother. 

“I only hope that Harry and Halley are as close as Y/n and I were.” 

James said with a pleased smile. It was a genuine comment too. He wanted nothing more than for his son to be as close to his cousin as the two of you were as siblings. James could only hope that he could repair whatever damage he had caused that day.

For the next few hours, everything went smoothly. To your delight, your parents seemed as pleased with Regulus as you were. Your mother gave you a pleased as punch smile that let you know everything was alright with your family. 

_One set of parents down...one more to go..._

When they left, you went to get Halley ready for bed. Regulus had remained in the living room attempting to talk to a very non-receptive James. You knew that it would be a very long road between the two. 

As you walked up the stairs, you heard Sirius and Remus talking. The moment that your name came up, you froze outside the door. Sirius’ voice was the first one that you heard…

“Regulus doesn’t even love her. He said he hopes to fall in love with her someday but at this time he doesn’t love her. I think that it's a bit mean of him. Empty words hurt and you know how lovely Y/n is.”

You felt both your mouth and heart drop as Remus spoke. 

“He actually admitted that to you?”

Sirius quickly spoke again with a sigh. 

“That’s exactly what he said to me. He married her because it was the right thing to do. He didn’t want people talking about her. What I think is he didn’t want people talking about him. My brother is such a selfish little git. Makes me want to go punch him...he has a good wife. Y/n loves him so much and he just…”

“Sirius, maybe Regulus doesn’t know his own feelings. You know how you were over admitting to not knowing what love was at first…”

“Don’t care...Y/n is the mother of his child and he says I love you...he needs to mean it.”

You couldn’t listen anymore. Wanting to cry, you were tempted to go downstairs and yell at Regulus. This conversation would need to happen in private. Words couldn’t describe how heartbroken you were. Regulus had always made you feel loved and when he said “I love you” it felt so genuine. Now that you knew it was all a lie, you couldn’t formulate how to describe your feelings. Knowing Regulus only married you to keep himself “in a good light” was the worst feeling in the world. 

It was another thirty minutes before Regulus came into the bedroom. He froze seeing you sitting at the end of the bed with tears in your eyes. Regulus immediately frowned. You didn’t cry. 

“What’s wrong, love?” 

You shook your head. 

“Don’t call me that.”

Regulus blinked a few times before raising an eyebrow.

“I always call you that. What have I done?” 

“Don’t tell me that you love me ever again! Never try to fool me with empty words. I know what you told Sirius outside. You married me out of some sense of duty so you wouldn’t be made out as the bad guy. It wasn’t out of us being in love. I was a fool then and I suppose that I still am. I would have been better off with people talking behind my back…”

Regulus’ cool composure didn’t drop. Inside, however, was a different story. He was about to panic over the knowledge that you had heard what he told his brother. The bigger question was how did you hear it? Did Sirius tell you? If he did, Regulus was going to strangle him! 

“I do love you.”

He argued as you stood up. You took off your wedding ring and put it on the bedside table. Regulus could do with it what he wanted. As far as you were concerned, you had no idea what would happen between Regulus and yourself now. That sacred trust, that you thought was there, clearly wasn’t.

“Just stop! We have to stop! This has to stop!”

Regulus was beginning to lose his temper now...especially with himself. If he had just kept his mouth shut earlier then none of this would be happening. He would have a happy wife that loved him not one who was sobbing and hated his existence. 

“If you are wanting me to leave you it isn’t happening.”

You rolled your eyes before starting for the bedroom door. Regulus moved to stop you but you shoved him out of the way.

“Well, I might just wash my hands of the whole stupid thing. I regret ever meeting you, Regulus Black.” 

Regulus didn’t move to go after you. He was in too much shock to move. You had never said something so cruel to him. Not that he blamed you, had the rolls been reversed Regulus would have been as upset. 

_I really am an ass._

Regulus thought before lying down on the bed silently praying that he wouldn’t wake up. 

A few hours had passed when the sound of Halley crying woke Regulus up. He sat up quickly and flipped on the bedside lamp. Yawning, Regulus glanced down at the clock that read 2:45. Halley had the fun habit of waking up around 3:00 every morning. Why would this night be different? 

The soul-sucking depression hit Regulus like a brick to the stomach. The realization that you weren’t beside him made Regulus want to cry in frustration. He hadn’t cried in years but the night's events were enough to make him want to. Had this happened in France, he would have found a bottle of brandy and drunk himself to sleep.

Getting out of bed, Regulus slowly stepped into Harry’s room to only find the sleeping boy in the crib. The sound of you talking gently to Halley quickly grabbed his attention and Regulus turned in the other direction. 

You sat in the living room gently rocking Halley who was eagerly playing with your necklace. 

“I’m just fine on my own.”

You commented, not looking up to meet your husband’s exhausted face. If you had, you would have seen the depressed expression on Regulus’ face. You weren't sure if you would care or not though. At the moment, you wanted him to realize just how miserable and heartbroken that you were. You had considered telling Regulus that he could just go and be a typical 19-year-old and chase skirts if that was what he wanted. You weren’t going to stop him or keep him in some “loveless” marriage that he thought was the best idea in the first place. 

“We always do this together.”

Regulus sadly commented. You kept your attention focused on your daughter’s face. 

“Maybe it's time for a change. Go be a typical husband and go back to bed.”


	3. Chapter 3

Sirius sat at the table drinking his morning tea. He looked up when he heard the chair on the opposite end of the table pull out. Regulus plopped down and was giving him the biggest death glare that Sirius had ever seen on his brother’s face. 

“What’s with you? Did the little angel keep you awake all night?”

Sirius asked. He didn’t have to say it but Sirius was convinced that Halley did no wrong. If she decided to wake her parents up in the middle of the night then they deserved to be graced by her presence no matter the hour.

“No, Halley did nothing. It was you. You better be glad that this table is separating us because I want to kill you.” 

Regulus would have normally chuckled at the expression on Sirius’ face but he was too angry.

“What exactly did I do to you?”

Sirius questioned, quietly wondering if Regulus was going to come across the table to try to strangle him. Regulus rubbed a hand over his eyes and tried to breathe a few times. Screaming at Sirius wasn’t going to do anyone any good. He would just come across as a bigger ass than he already was. 

“You told Remus what I told you and Y/n overheard you. Now she fucking hates me.” 

Sirius winced. 

“I didn’t know she was in the hallway. Regulus, first off, you are the one that said you weren't in love with her.” 

“I am in love with her! I just..suck at expressing my emotions. Hell, you know me. Now she probably won’t ever talk to me again.”

Sirius blinked a few times.

“Uh, you two are married and have a baby. She will kind of have to talk to you.” 

Regulus sighed. 

“Until she divorces me and I only get to see Halley periodically.”

Sirius’ amused smile faded as he realized that Regulus was being serious. The pain on his brother’s face was enough.

“Y/n isn’t going to divorce you. Go apologize. You know that thing where you say that you are sorry and beg for mercy...kiss her ankles if you have to. I know mum and dad didn’t really teach us that sort of thing but it works wonders.” 

Regulus scowled up again.

“I know what an apology is, you twat!”

Sirius grinned before focusing on Regulus again. 

“Good. It looks like you’ve learned a new skill. In all seriousness Reg, just calm down. Y/n will chill out. She is just upset right now. Y/n is the sweetest most caring person that I know…”

Regulus snorted. He wouldn't use “sweet or caring” to describe the fight that the two of you had the previous night. Regulus expected the first fight as a couple to be over something stupid like what color of drapes would be put in the house...not you questioning Regulus’ love for you. 

“Try saying that when she's yelling at your face that she regrets ever meeting you. That sure was cute. Try fucking heartbreaking. I swear if she leaves me over this I am going to make your life a giant dumpster fire.”

Sirius blinked. 

“You mean bigger than it already is? Cool.”

Regulus sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. He reminded Sirius of a pouting child that didn’t get his way.

“This fucking sucks.”

Sirius took a sip of his tea before focusing his attention on his little brother. 

“It's going to be fine. Y/n isn’t some uptight pure-blood bitch like our mother who will make your life a living hell. She is probably just going to give you the cold shoulder for a bit until she needs you. Speaking of needs...I’m just curious…”

Regulus looked up. 

“There are mornings that I wake up dehydrated and now I probably won’t be able to touch her again.”

Sirius nodded. 

“That’s what Remus and I figured. We were guessing that she was a freak in the sheets.” 

Regulus’ scowl intensified. 

“Don’t talk about my wife that way.” 

“You started it.”

Sirius muttered as you walked into the room. Taking one look at you Sirius realized that Regulus wasn’t joking. You were furious...furious and hurt. Sirius winced. He had never seen you looking this devastated. 

“We are due at your parents in half an hour. We should get ready to go.”

You said, sounding as if you were almost on autopilot. Sirius frowned. 

“You two are going around those people?”

Your attention turned to Sirius. 

“Yes, whether we like them or not, Walburga and Orion deserve to know about Halley. I would invite you to tag along but I don’t want you to get murdered.” 

Sirius grinned as he looked between Regulus and yourself. The two of you refused to look at each other. It reminded Sirius of two children who had been playing “I’m not touching you” too many times. 

“You’re such a good friend. By the way, I love that the two of you look like you’re going to a funeral.” 

You had taken extra care to doll yourself up. Whether you wanted to admit it or not, you were nervous about meeting Walburga Black. Turning up looking anything but perfect would probably be a disaster. As a result of the previous thought, you stood dressed in a vintage black dress that matched the suit that Regulus was wearing. To be spiteful, you put on the red lipstick that seemed to drive Regulus wild. When he looked up at you and squirmed in the chair that he was sitting in you knew that you did your job well. 

Being spiteful backfired on you when you focused your attention on Regulus. The black suit was the one that he had on the night that the two of you met. 

_That damned black suit that just begged to be torn off of him..._

“Might as well be a funeral.”

Regulus muttered before standing up. Not a truer statement had been made. Regulus was nervous about taking his wife and child around his parents. Something about this seemed like a bad idea. Regulus was going to be on his toes the whole night.

Half an hour later….

You stood beside Regulus outside of the Black family home. Regulus held Halley in his right arm. Neither of you had said a word since leaving James’ house. Regulus took a breath before looking down at you. He would rather take you somewhere else and try to woo his way back into your heart but no...he was stuck with his parents. 

“Y/n, we can’t go in there not speaking to each other. My parents will tear us apart.” 

You didn’t look up at him. 

“I’ll be your happy quiet little wife. From what Sirius says that is what your mother wants for you. Congratulations, you have it.”

Regulus groaned. 

“Damn it, Y/n...if you would just listen to…”

Before Regulus could get the rest of the sentence out, the front door opened. Walburga stood on the other side and instantly smiled the moment that she saw her “baby.” Her smile turned to shock the moment that her eyes noticed the baby in her son’s arm. 

“Hello, mum.”

Regulus said simply as Walburga blinked a few times before looking at you. She quickly got the message that she had missed something going on in her son’s life. 

“Regulus, what is going on?”

Regulus took a breath before placing his left hand on the small of your back. 

“We need to talk inside, mother.” 

“It appears that we do. Go into the sitting room so I can go find your father. It looks like we have a lot of catching up to do.”

Walburga turned and disappeared from the foyer as Regulus motioned you into the sitting room. The two of you sat down in silence. Looking around the room, you could see why Regulus grew up the way he did. Nothing about the room or the house (from what you saw) screamed “happy family.” Everything was dark and dreary. 

You couldn’t help but wonder if you had been too hard on Regulus? The fact that Walburga didn’t hug him made you question everything. If he didn’t have his mother’s love and affection, how would Regulus know how to give it to someone else? 

Like Regulus, you had begun to wonder if coming back to London was the best decision for your little family? Nothing was wrong with your life in France. Both Regulus and yourself were so happy. The two of you didn’t fight. You were a happy young couple just starting your lives together. 

Regulus meanwhile, turned to meet your gaze. The look on your face was enough to break his heart. He knew that you were questioning everything and he was regretting his comments even more. 

“Darling…” 

Regulus started. He wanted to tell you how much he loved and needed you. You were the one piece in his life that made sense. If it wasn’t for you, there would be a good chance that Regulus would be dead somewhere or still a death eater. 

The chemistry between the two of you was so clearly evident. As Regulus leaned down to kiss you footsteps in the hallway stopped him in his tracks. The warm loving expression in Regulus’ eyes vanished and the cold haughty Black family scowl returned as Walburga and Orion stepped in. 

Orion appeared as shocked as Walburga had moments before. His youngest son sat a few feet away with a baby that was clearly his and a woman by his side. 

“I think you have something to tell us.”

Orion stated before sitting down in the seat across from the couch. Regulus gently put Halley in your arms as he gathered the courage to speak. He only hoped that his parents would be as receptive to this news as the Potters were. 

“This is my wife and daughter…”

Walburga immediately interrupted. 

“Where were we in this decision?”

Regulus shrugged. 

“I didn’t tell you to keep the two of you safe. You know what I am. Look, I know it's not the dream outcome that the two of you want but I love her. I won’t be giving her up no matter what is said. You can banish me from the family if you want. My wife and daughter are what matters to me.” 

Orion glanced over his shoulder to Walburga before focusing his attention on his son. 

“You should stop there, Regulus.” 

He turned his attention to you. Orion had to admit that you were lovely. You sat at his son’s side keeping your demeanor calm and reserved. What he didn’t see was the inner turmoil that you had going on inside of you. You were going between swooning when Regulus said “my wife and daughter” for one moment before going back to “does he really want this?” Regulus was offering no insight into this soul at the moment either. He had closed his emotions off and was strictly the boy that his mother and father trained him to be. 

“Who are you, my dear?”

Orion asked. You took a breath. It was time to prove how brave you really were. You had never had a conversation with Walburga or Orion Black before. When Sirius ran away to your parent’s home, you were not allowed to come with your mother, James, and Sirius when they came back to Grimmauld Place to get his things. Sirius begged your mother to not let you come. He was honestly afraid that his mother would try to hurt you. Walburga would probably think that you conned Sirius into running away and call you a tramp or any other horrible name that she could come up with. 

You internally smirked at the thought now. Granted, no one knew how your future would turn out. There was no one that could foresee you marrying Regulus. Now here you sat in Walburga’s sitting room with her grandchild in your arms and Walburga’s own mother’s wedding band on your finger. 

“I was Y/n Potter. You know my family, sir.”

Orion only nodded as Walburga’s mouth dropped. Now she remembered you! Walburga had seen you trailing after James and Sirius that day at Kings Cross station when dropping Regulus off for school.  
You had changed a lot from that day long ago. Walburga was pleased to say that you had definitely grown up to be a beautiful girl. She could see why Regulus had fallen in love with you. 

Looking at her youngest son, Walburga had a feeling that he would pick you over the “family” a million times over. Walburga had to decide if she could put her own vindictive nature away and be receptive of a daughter in law (that she had no choice in) or lose her son all together. She had already lost one son, could she handle losing another? 

She was about to speak but stopped. Her attention went to the baby. The little girl looked so much like Regulus as a baby that there was no way Walburga could deny this was her son’s daughter. Everything about the baby screamed, “Regulus Black is my father.” 

A new feeling that Walburga had never felt before was surging through her as she looked at the baby. She had heard many people say that the love one felt for their grandchildren was different than the love that was felt for their child. At the moment, Walburga couldn’t agree more. She wanted nothing more than to cuddle the baby and never let her go. 

Another reason to accept this girl as my son’s wife. If I want to be able to see my grandchild then I will have to be kind to her mother whether I like her or not.

“How old is she?”

Walburga asked, softly. She had to get out of her head for the moment. Walburga did well at masking all of her emotions. That was an unwanted skill that was forced upon her as a child by her own parents. 

_“Emotional people are weak. You don’t want to be seen that way.”_

Her father’s cruel words rang through Walburga’s head just as they did when she was six years old. Now looking back, she realized that she forced this own horribly cold ideology on her own children. Looking at Regulus, she could clearly see that he followed this to a perfect point. Had Walburga ruined the boy that she loved the most? 

“Four months. Her name is Halley.” 

Regulus replied. He didn’t offer any more information leaving his mother questioning things in her mind even further. Regulus had always been such a loving little boy right up until age 6 when Walburga and Orion didn’t have time for his childish wants. This was the time that he was told it was “time to grow up” and stop needing mummy and daddy so much. Walburga wanted to sob at the memory of the expression on his little face when she told him that he needed to go play and leave her alone. Now there was no emotion in his eyes when he looked at her. Walburga couldn’t help but wonder if he was closed off and uncaring to you? 

You sat at his side as a good wife should but something in your eyes bothered Walburga. There was something that was screaming out for help and the older woman wanted nothing more than to find out what was going on. 

“She’s perfect.” 

Walburga said, softly. Regulus, meanwhile, looked up at the tone in his mother’s voice. He had never heard that particular tone before. 

“She looks just like Regulus as a baby.” 

Orion commented with a proud smile on his face. He didn’t have to look at Walburga’s face to know that she was questioning everything about herself. There had been many conversations between the two when Regulus didn’t want to come home after graduation on whether or not they raised their children right.

You looked between Regulus’ parents with a sympathetic expression. Something in their eyes didn’t match the cruel things that you had always been told about the Blacks. You had seen that expression on people’s faces before...was it regret? If they regretted and were apologetic about their past then you couldn’t entirely hold it against them. Would you be willing to let them have an active role in Halley’s life? There could be a possibility. 

There was only one stipulation. You would not let your child be raised to be a blood supremacist. Halley would not be raised to hate muggle-borns when her own aunt was a muggle-born. Both Regulus and yourself had agreed before that she was born there would be no old school ideals forced upon her. Walburga and Orion would have to agree to that or there would be no further contact. 

You pulled yourself from your thoughts before standing up. 

“You can hold her if you would like.”

You said, ignoring the way that Regulus was looking at you. His eyes were dark as he watched your movements. He was on edge and afraid something would happen. If anyone tried something, he was more than willing to start killing again.

Walburga quickly held out her arms and took Halley from you. She quickly pulled the baby closer to her chest with a rare smile. 

“Sweet little love.”

She cooed before fixing Halley’s bow that had come loose in all of the shuffle. You took your seat beside Regulus. 

“We are having a party next week. The two of you should come. I would love to show this little one off to the rest of the family.” 

Walburga said as Halley started tugging on her grandmother’s pearl necklace. 

“I don’t know.”

Regulus commented almost immediately. Orion was the first to look up. 

“We want to be involved in her life, Regulus. We may not have been perfect parents but we can be good grandparents.” 

Regulus leaned back against the couch. For the first time, he pulled his eyes away from his daughter who was pleased as punch with whatever Walburga was letting her do. 

“I don’t want our family's ideal pushed upon her. She isn’t growing up with that. Y/n and I have already agreed to that a long time ago. If both of you can’t accept it then you won’t see any of us.” 

Both Walburga and Orion looked startled by Regulus’ comment. To them, there was nothing wrong with their beliefs. This is the way the Black family believed for years and nothing appeared wrong with it to them. However, the question now was it worth potentially not being able to see their grandchild over? Maybe they could persuade Regulus to clearly see things in time but for now...they may have to be quiet. 

“You’re her father...if that’s what you want.” 

Orion replied, looking as if Regulus had force-fed him a lemon. 

The rest of the visit with Walburga and Orion flowed fairly smoothly. You were personally glad when it was time to head back to James. The day had been emotionally exhausting for everyone. Walburga and Orion hadn’t said another word about what Regulus “was not going to put up with.” Something told you, however, that they would be ranting the moment that the two of you left. 

Arriving back at James and Lily’s, Sirius was waiting for Regulus to turn up to see what happened. Something told you that he had been waiting patiently like a puppy. You would have gone along with them but Halley was quickly losing her patience with everything and wanted nothing more than to be tucked into bed. 

“I’m going to put her down.” 

Regulus only nodded as you turned and went upstairs. He needed to think of a plan on how to apologize and fast! 

“So what did mummy and daddy have to say? Did they ask about me?”

Sirius asked with a smile as Regulus gave him the biggest “go fuck yourself” expression. When Regulus didn’t reply, Sirius went to the liquor cabinet to find something to loosen his younger brother’s tongue up with. Putting a glass of brandy in front of Regulus, Sirius sat down with a smirk. 

“So about mum and dad?” 

Regulus downed the whole glass leaving Sirius blinking. 

“You’re supposed to drink that a bit slower. I thought you didn't have much of an alcohol tolerance.” 

Regulus shook his head and poured another glass of the liquor. After one glass, he was already feeling better. If he could down a second one, he would be feeling great. 

“I don’t. That is why I have a four-month-old.” 

Sirius sat watching with a concerned expression as Regulus down the second glass. 

“So are you at war with your liver? Should I go get Y/n?”

Regulus shook his head. 

“Let her be. She was a star today. Mum and dad love her. I mean they actually love her. I think mum wants to be her new best friend and it was the strangest and weirdest thing to watch. Our mother apparently has a heart. She loves Y/n and Halley.” 

Sirius frowned. 

“So why are you drinking like this?”

“You put it in front of me, Sirius!”

Regulus snapped. Sirius reached out and took the bottle of brandy away; regretting his actions. 

“Would you hush before you wake the whole house up? Merlin, you are a loud drunk. I didn’t think that you were going to do this. Reg, I figured that you would be thrilled about mum and dad liking your wife and child. You are acting like they banished you lot from the family.” 

Regulus leaned back in the chair.

“I am afraid that it is just an act. What if they want to pull us in only to kill all of us for breaking the family code. Our family is really messed up...do you know that?”

Sirius smiled as he realized the brandy was doing its job. 

“Thank you for finally seeing things my way. You can protect Y/n and Halley from them. If they start their crap do that acting like an asshole thing that you do so well. Not the everyday living stuff but I'm not putting up with this crap. You know like when you told me that you never wanted to talk to me again at school.” 

Regulus sighed. 

“They know that I am on my guard with them. You could see it in their eyes. Now that I can’t think straight I’m going to go apologize to Y/n for being a dick. We can talk about this more in the morning when I’m not half drunk. I am suddenly ten times braver than I was. Thanks.” 

You sat on the bed reading a book when Regulus came into the bedroom. You could tell just by looking at him that he had been drinking. His normally pale cheeks were rosy and he gave you a small sweet smile.

_Thanks, Sirius_

You thought as he sat down beside you. 

“Is Halley asleep?” 

Regulus asked. You nodded as he leaned down and kissed your bare shoulder. 

“What are you doing?”

You asked. Regulus smirked. The alcohol was making him braver than he typically would have been sober. In his sober mind, Regulus had somewhat decided that he was going to wait and let you come to him. With the brandy in him, however, he was not about to sit back and wait. 

“Kissing you...like the good husband that I should be. Whether you want to accept it or not, I am in love with you. You know that I’m crap at expressing emotions. “  
You put your book down before turning to face him. 

“Do you realize how painful it was to hear what you told Sirius?”

Regulus snuggled his face against your arm. Was your skin always this soft? Was everything about you always this perfect?

_Boy, whatever Sirius gave me sure helped._

Regulus thought with a smile. The next morning, he may not be feeling that great but at the moment he wasn’t so self-conscious about everything. He was thankful that you didn't pull away from him. The fact that you seemed to melt against him stroked his ego a little bit more.

“I’m sure it did hurt. I never meant for my own stupid fears to hurt you. I really do love you, darling. I know that I do.” 

You wrapped your hand around his. 

“I love you too. I just hope that you remember this talk in the morning when you are sober.” 

Regulus sat up quickly.

“I’m just buzzed...not drunk. You know drunk me.”

Regulus was right. You knew “drunk Regulus” very well and there was still a bit of his sober self still available. 

“Yes, I do and I love you too. Now lay down before you injure yourself.”

Regulus lay down for a moment before he reached out and took the book away from you and tossed it to a corner of the room. 

“Regulus.”

“Pay attention to me.” 

You couldn’t help but giggle as he pulled you down against him. This was one thing that you did enjoy when he drank. He turned into the neediest cuddliest man on earth. You had to fight the urge to make a comment about both Regulus and Sirius being the same when it came to drinking but decided against it when you were pulled into a kiss. 

Regulus’ lips were on yours as his body melted against yours. His lips were familiar, sweet, safe. Everything about him was what you needed at the moment. 

“Please.”

Regulus sighed against your lips. Lifting your leg over his hip, you couldn’t say no. 

“Yes.” 

You replied before starting for the buttons of his shirt. The desire and desperation were clearly evident as the two of you wrestled out of your clothes.

“I’m sorry.” 

Regulus whispered as he kissed a small path from your neck to your collarbone. You enjoyed the sensation of his hot breath mixed with nibbling kisses. With each passing moment, the desperation built within you. 

“Regulus...stop teasing.”

“Not a chance.”

He replied before sucking a love bite onto your neck. Your hand was immediately locked in his hair, holding his head against your neck. With each bite and roll of his tongue, you knew that you were going to be marked up the next morning and you didn’t care. 

“Now be a good girl while I make you feel good.” 

Regulus said as he gently shoved you against the pillows. You reached to turn off the light but was stopped when Regulus’ hand wrapped around your wrist. 

“Leave it on.” 

His voice was a bit more commanding than normal. Regulus knew why you wanted it off. You were still self-conscious about your body. From the time Halley was born, you would rarely let him look at you naked and it was beginning to wear. 

“You look beautiful. You’re perfect, darling.”

You swallowed and lay back against the pillow as Regulus spread your legs again. His eyes rolled up to yours as he gently stroked over your folds with his middle and index finger. 

“Can I kiss you here?”

You nodded while internally screaming at him to get down there and do something. Regulus was perfect at teasing and he knew it. He could be a little shit when the mood set him right. 

Regulus kissed his way down your thigh leaving you moaning for more. You could have come with one swipe of his tongue when he finally made contact. Regulus hummed against you the moment your hands locked in his hair. With each nibble, lick, and deep vibration you could feel yourself falling deeper and deeper into oblivion. 

“Oh fuck, Regulus.”

You whined when Regulus pulled away. 

“Now don’t be like that.” 

Regulus said with a smile as he wiped his chin. He left you lying on the bed with your legs spread. Sitting down in the armchair in the corner, Regulus gave you a little devious smirk. 

“Why don’t you come here, love?”

You didn’t need to be told twice. As much as you wanted to lay there and let Regulus overstimulate you with oral sex you know whatever he had up his sleeve would be just as nice. Taking your place on Regulus’ lap, he turned your body so that your back was against his bare chest. Regulus wrapped his arms around you and spent the next few moments nuzzling his face against the side of your head. It would have been innocent but the moment Regulus started talking everything coming out of his mouth was sheer eroticism that he knew would make you ache. 

You pathetically tried to grind your core against his thigh but was unable to move. 

“Please.” 

You begged shamelessly. 

“If that’s what you want.” 

Regulus replied. He wanted nothing more than to spend the next few minutes teasing you, however, sex sounded nice too. 

“Show me how much you love me.” 

You cooed. The comment may be construed to some as cruel or almost teasing but to Regulus, it was enough to make him want you all the more. He gently lifted you enough to slowly ease down onto his thick cock. 

“Oh.”

You whined as your body adjusted to his size. Regulus smiled against your back. That little “oh” was so sweet and delicate that it made the man in him go all the more crazy. He made you moan like that. It wasn’t an act or some other man that Regulus would never be able to live up to...it was him. He was the one that you needed and that thought alone made whatever insecurities that he may have about the relationship go away (at least for now). 

“Would you like me to move now?”

Regulus asked through gritted teeth. He was trying to give your body time to adjust but with each passing moment, the pressure was becoming greater and greater.

“Please...make love to me.”

This time the comment wasn’t so sassy. You had gone back to the sweet girl that Regulus had fallen in love with...his sweet Hufflepuff that made the Slytherin in him grow all the more protective. 

Your eyes rolled back as Regulus finally started to move below you. This position was far different than most of the positions the two of you used. You wanted to be able to hold onto Regulus or at least look into his eyes as he came closer and closer to his climax. This position, however, did offer erotic benefits. You liked feeling his chest against your back as he moved. Regulus panting erotic promises in your ear with each thrust was enough to move this position up on your favorites list. 

“Would you like to take this back to bed?”

Regulus panted against your ear. You could only nod. Formulating actual words was becoming harder and harder with each moment.

The ability to think magically returned when Regulus stood up enough to pull out. 

“I was so close.” 

You whined as Regulus gently laid you down and took his place on top of you. 

“Well, I guess we'll just have to fix that then won’t we?” 

Before you could come up with a sassy response, Regulus shoved back in returning to the steady rhythm as a few moments before. His eyes closed as your body pushed him closer to the point of no return. 

“Open your eyes. I want you to look at me.”

You ordered. Regulus did as he was told. Stormy eyes met yours as he bit his bottom lip. Neither of you would last much longer and with each passing moment, the desperation was building greater and greater. 

“Fuck” 

Regulus swore as you tightened once more around him ending any hope of continuing much longer. You pulled him down into a deep desperate kiss as the both of you came. 

For the next few moments, Regulus remained motionless with his forehead against yours as you stroked your fingers through his hair. 

“Is it a bad time to tell you that I love you?”

He asked with a small smile. Regulus was relieved when you pulled him back in for another kiss.

“Couldn’t be more perfect.” 

Meanwhile…

James, Sirius, and Remus sat awkwardly looking at each other in the living room. All three men wanted nothing more than to be deaf at this particular moment. James was thankful that Lily had gone to see her parents with Harry that morning. He turned his attention to Sirius and scowled. 

“Just what the hell did you tell him, Sirius?” 

Sirius shrugged innocently.

“I just tried to be there for him.” 

Remus stood up. He had to get out of that house. 

“Well, you did a hell of a job. Anyone want to go get a drink?”


	4. Chapter 4

The sound of someone knocking on the bedroom door roused from your deep sleep. You heard Regulus groan beside you as he lifted enough to look at the clock. 

“The fuck?”

Regulus grumbled. Who the hell was waking him up at 7:30 am when Halley was sleeping? 

“What?”

Regulus snapped. The door opened and James stepped in with his hand over his eyes. 

“Do you two have clothes on?”

“No.”

Regulus replied, with a grin. The more that he could make James uncomfortable the happier Regulus would be. He wasn’t a fool. Regulus knew that James was still pissed over you running off and getting married. For the few days that the three of you had been staying with James and Lily, James had barely said 4 words to you and it was beginning to annoy Regulus. He made a mental note to talk to James later. 

You, meanwhile, gave your husband a small displeased expression as James spoke again. 

“That’s just great. I really don’t want to be in here but Reg, your mother is here and we don’t know what to do with her. She’s trying to tell Sirius that he’s doing everything wrong with Halley. They are about to fight. Not to sound concerned but I would pay to see it but I don’t want my kitchen destroyed either. 

Regulus quickly got up in search of his abandoned pants. This was the last thing that he wanted to deal with. He needed some form of caffeine before dealing with Walburga or Sirius. 

“Fuck shit crap...what the fuck is she doing here?” 

James, who had turned around, shrugged. 

“We wondered the same thing. It's kind of funny though. Halley is looking at your mother like she hasn’t seen anything like her before.” 

Regulus sighed. 

“Because she hasn’t. Y/n and I don’t act like raving lunatics around her. Whether you want to believe it or not, but we used to live a very drama-free life. I knew this would happen. We would tell her and she is just going to show up at random times. Who the hell comes visiting at 7:30?”

“You drama-free? Forgive me for not believing that. As far as your mother, she’s been here since 7.”

James clarified. For once, James had to agree with Regulus on something. When James opened his door that morning to see Walburga Black on the other side, he had to make sure that the world hadn’t ended. James was under the impression that Walburga never wanted to see him again. After all, the horrible woman screamed it at his face when Sirius ran away and James was not the least bit upset. 

Regulus turned.

“7? Normal people are sleeping at 7...oh wait...this is my mother that we are talking about...carry on. You said that Sirius has Halley?”

James nodded. 

“He’s protecting her like a little piece of gold. I think it's annoying your mother and that is what’s the best about it. She wanted to hold her and Sirius told her that his turn wasn’t over and she has to wait in line.” 

You ran a hand through your hair trying not to sigh. This was going to a giant mess! 

“I got this,Y/n.” 

Regulus muttered as he pulled on a shirt and stormed downstairs. If his mother thought for one minute that she was going to sink her claws into his daughter, she had another thing coming! The last thing that Regulus was going to let happen was Halley have a horrible childhood like him. He would die before that happened.

It's a good thing that we willed Halley to Sirius. I could rest in peace knowing that she is safe with him. I will rest better knowing that James also doesn’t have her.

Regulus thought with a pleased smile. The two of you had sat down one night after Halley was born and decided “who do we really hate the most?” Regulus thought the whole thing was rather amusing until you made the comment, 

“We need to decide who would be best to raise our child if something happens to us. Do you really find our child’s security a laughing matter?” 

The two of you had come to an agreement that Halley would go to Sirius since James and Lily had Harry to worry about. Of course, James and Lily could be involved as they liked in their niece's life but Regulus was adamant that Halley went to Sirius and you agreed. 

Walburga looked up when Regulus stormed into the room. She automatically frowned at her youngest son’s disheveled appearance. Regulus’ curly hair was a mess and his shirt was untucked. Walburga hadn’t seen her son look this bad in ages. If Walburga wasn’t hell-bent on holding her granddaughter she would make a comment about Regulus looking sloppy.

“Regulus, make your brother give me the baby.”

Regulus’ attention went to Sirius who sat at the table cuddling Halley. Without saying anything, Regulus eagerly took the cup of coffee that Lily was holding out to him. He didn’t turn to face his mother who looked like she was about to blow a fuse over being ignored. It vaguely reminded Regulus of Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. If she started screeching, “I will not be ignored” Regulus wouldn’t be able to fight the urge to laugh at her. What was she going to do, after all? Send him to his room?

“Regulus, you are ignoring me.”

Walburga snapped. Regulus shook his head and pointed to the cup of coffee in his hand.

“See, he has to have the motivation to deal with you too. He’s just too nice to say it.” 

Sirius commented. Walburga huffed as she sat back down at the table. Her dark eyes were focused on her eldest son and granddaughter. 

“You should have socks on the baby. She’s going to catch a cold.” 

“It's warm in here.”

Sirius muttered. 

“Sheesh mother, would you sit down and take a pill or something? It isn’t like we are going to let her crawl through a puddle of bleach or something. We aren’t heathens.” 

Walburga rolled her eyes before standing up and turning back to her youngest son. 

“We are having dinner with our whole family tonight. Bring your wife and the child...and for Merlin’s sake brush your hair. You look like your father did after Sirius was born...I swear a woman has a baby and the father goes to pieces.” 

Regulus finally had enough coffee to be able to process his thoughts clearly. 

“I haven’t gone to pieces, mum. I was asleep. It's barely 7:45...most people are sleeping.” 

Walburga put on her sweater with a disapproving scowl that used to send Sirius and Regulus running. Her face reminded Regulus of the time that he had caught the living room drapes on fire. 

“I’m sure your wife wasn’t sleeping. You should help her with the child.” 

Regulus groaned. 

“Mother, I swear to god...it is too early and I haven’t had enough…”

Sirius jumped up and tugged Regulus after him. 

“Happy family time is over mother. They will show up to your cult dinner later. Try not to ruin him any more than you already have.” 

“You’re not coming, are you?”

Walburga questioned. She didn’t want to deal with Sirius more than she had to. If she dealt with him too much then she could develop feelings for his sassy sarcastic self and she didn’t want anything to deal with that. She was catching enough feelings being around Regulus and Halley. Adding Sirius to the mix would be a disaster! 

“Not in a million years.” 

Sirius replied before leaving the room muttering to Halley about her family being crazy and to not listen to anything that anyone told her.

“I’ll tell you all about the cult when you get old enough to understand. Your crazy grandma is an alcoholic and needs her special cider to function.” 

Regulus shook his head before turning back to his mother who looked ready to start yelling. The fact that Walburga Black wasn’t screaming spoke volumes about her actually want to be involved in Halley’s life. 

“We’ll come, mother.” 

That evening you stood beside Regulus as the two of you stared at the front door of 12 Grimmauld Place. 

“Why are we doing this again?”

Regulus questioned. You sighed as he snuggled Halley closer to him. 

“We are being good people and Halley deserves to know both sides of her family.” 

Regulus didn’t make any facial expression before turning to you. 

“We can just tell her that my family is a bunch of shady characters that she really doesn't need to know. Hell, Sirius can back us up on that one. Halley has your family and she has Sirius...that's enough from my family. She doesn’t need to grow up witnessing these psychos in action.” 

Before you could respond the front door opened. Orion stood on the other and smiled seeing Halley in her father’s arms. 

“There you two are. We were wondering what was taking so long. Now let me have her.” 

You watched as Regulus made a pained expression the moment that his father snatched Halley from him. Orion spent the next few moments smiling down at her as Halley started tugging at the buttons of his vest. ‘

Regulus silently prayed that Halley would start pulling hair that night. That would be one hell of a way to make an introduction into the family...giving someone a new bald spot. 

“Come on it. Everyone else is here.” 

Regulus reached over and wrapped his hand around yours. You couldn’t help feeling sad when you noticed the dark expression on Regulus’ face. It was the same expression that he had the day before. You assumed that this would be a normal thing anytime that the two of you were in the Black family home. 

Multiple sets of eyes rolled up when you stepped into the room with Regulus. You knew a few of the people already. Narcissa and Lucius were looking at the two of you with wide eyes while Bellatrix scowled in your direction. The horrible woman almost made a comment but was stopped the moment Narcissa elbowed her in the side. 

Walburga smiled before turning to Druella. 

“I assume that you haven’t been told but Regulus and Y/n married not long ago. This is their daughter Halley.” 

Regulus hated the way that his aunt and cousins were looking around at each other as if saying, 

How is he still here? How is Regulus still with us? What was Walburga thinking?

Walburga turned back to her youngest son with a pleased smile. 

“Sit down.” 

The next half an hour was the tensest of your life. While Walburga had been overly nice to you the day before, tonight she was in a constant conversation with her sister-in-law. Tonight, she was clearly showing the true colors that Regulus mentioned to you before. 

So much for being hopeful….

You thought as Narcissa turned to you. She gave you a sweet smile. 

“Halley is a darling little girl. How old is she?” 

“Four months.”

Regulus replied. Narcissa again smiled ignoring her cousin’s careful gaze. Regulus wasn’t about to let his guard down. He didn’t care how sweet Narcissa pretended to be. Regulus wasn’t as concerned about Narcissa as he was Bellatrix. His older cousins’ cold gaze was locked on the two of you. 

“She’s the same age as our Draco. How wonderful they are the same age! Did you have a hard time with the pregnancy?”

You shook your head before putting your drink down. 

“Not at all. A little morning sickness but that was it. Her birth wasn’t bad either.” 

Your eyes flickered over to Regulus who had a small smile on his face. 

“I think we both did well.” 

Narcissa’s mouth dropped. 

“You mean, Regulus stayed in the room with you? He didn’t leave?”

You immediately realized just what Draco’s birth was probably like for Narcissa. She was probably in some cold sterile room all alone.   
“He was with me the whole time. He may have been a bit traumatized but he did just fine.”

Narcissa immediately glared at Lucius. The man was giving Regulus the biggest “fuck you” expression imaginable. 

“I think that you and I will have a talk later.” 

Both Lucius and Narcissa sat hissing at each other quietly for the next fifteen minutes. You leaned over to Regulus. 

“I think I just caused a rift between them.” 

Regulus smirked. He couldn’t give two shits as to what was pissing Narcissa and Lucius off. They could get hit by a bus for all Regulus cared. 

Bellatrix, who had been listening quietly, the whole time was finally beginning to have enough. She wasn’t thrilled with the fact that Regulus brought you home. Since when was he allowed to go marry whomever he wished? Bella didn’t have that luxury nor did Narcissa or any other woman. Regulus probably got to do as he wished because he was a male. 

Stupid double standard. 

Bellatrix muttered before turning to Narcissa.

“Regulus was always the weak one. Now look he’s gone and knocked up a blood traitor.”

She said it loud enough for you to hear. You had to stop yourself from turning to hex the bitch. If you needed another reason to hate Bella. She had given you one. Clearly, she knew nothing about her cousin. Regulus was anything but weak. 

“Reggie, can we go home now?” 

You whispered in his direction. Regulus’ eyes turned in your direction. He had somehow started talking to his father.

“Soon.”


End file.
